“So out of respect for Will Chamberlain, I will allow you guys to say Shaq and Wilt Chamberlain, but nobody else.” Shaquille O’Neal had no issue sharing the ‘Most Dominant Ever’ title with Wilt Chamberlain. Even after the 2x NBA champion retired in 1973, he is still the 7th overall in the points tally for top scorers. Yet, after all the domination, there was a time when ‘The Big Dipper’ was labeled “Loser.”

But one of his rivals remembers the late legend very differently. “I enjoyed Wilt because I knew Wilt very well and Wilt was a big talker. And you know was talking about what he was going to do and whatnot.” Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain spent the majority of their career facing each other. That’s why Robertson had no problem calling ‘Whip’ one of his favorite players on the All the Smoke podcast.

In his first seven seasons in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain won the scoring record seven times. In that period, he was the rebounding champion for 5 seasons, yet there was no championship to show for the stellar numbers. His team could not beat Bill Russell and the Celtics and had a record 0-for-5 in playoff series for the first seven years. “That’s when people really started calling me ‘loser’,” Chamberlain once stated.

Despite those early losses to archenemies Russell, Robertson was not shy to credit Wilt Chamberlain for the league’s success. This was because even the Bucks legend faced a similar trophy drought until his move to Milwaukee, where he won his only championship. He even stated in the same podcast that “Wilt was putting on a show for people you know. Wilt carried the NBA for years.” Also spoke about the ’61-’62 season where the Celtics star won the MVP, despite the Lakers legend leading in stats.

Wilt Chamberlain scored the most points that season and also led the league in rebounds. And during the playoffs meeting with the Celtics, he dominated Russell. Chamberlain commanded with 33.6 points and 26.9 rebounds, and Russell averaged 22 points and 25.9 rebounds in the seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. But the Celtics were the better team and not only won the ECF battle but would go on to lift the title.

Oscar Robertson’s failure to win games like Wilt Chamberlain

The 11x All-Star highlighted his failures on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast. Robertson shared that playing for the local team, what many consider a dream, became a nightmare. “The draft hurt me. I went to a team that was in disarray, and here I am coming out of school, I was Player of the Year, of course, but I had to carry them. I had to sacrifice my game to make us a unit.”

In his rookie year, ‘Big O’ led the team in points and assists and was second in the rebound category. As he would help the Cincinnati Royals finish with a record of 33-46 and a 4th-place finish in the NBA Western Division. The previous year, the Royals had managed only 19 wins to their 56 losses.

In the ’61-’62 season, his second year, the Royals made the playoffs. Robertson once again led the team in points and assists and was second in the rebound category. Also finished 3rd in the MVP category, behind Wilt Chamberlain and eventual winner Bill Russell. Both Robertson and Chamberlain were instrumental in their team’s success, but the Celtics were the better team and thus Russell dominated the MVP race.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”